The Bitty Penguin Buddy: A FREE Crochet Penguin Pattern

There’s FINALLY a new bitty ready to join the bitty buddy collection – Bitty Penguin! The “artic blast” covering much of the Eastern United States was the perfect time to debut this adorable little penguin! Read on to find out how you can make your very own FREE crochet penguin pattern.

The Bitty Penguin Buddy is a unique design featuring the bobble stitch. Bitty buddies are a tiny-sized cross between a security blanket and favorite stuffed animal, making them the perfect little loveys. They are teeny and sweet and make great rattles, teether toys or binky buddies! The bobbled texture and soft body structure provide great sensory input while the cute animal designs make them fun for play! This free crochet penguin pattern works up quickly and is very low-sew!

Bitty Penguin is the tiny counterpart to the new Pippin the Penguin Bobble Buddy! You can check out Pippin’s new pattern here on Etsy or Ravelry.

If you prefer the ad-free printable version of the bitty penguin, you can find it on Etsy or Ravelry.

If you are a visual learner and prefer a video, stay tuned for a YouTube video tutorial coming in early February!

Don’t miss a free pattern! Subscribe to the newsletter to keep up with all the latest

As I’ve said before, these bitties are meant for babies, so I typically prefer cotton yarn like Hobby Lobby, I Love This Cotton yarn or Lion Brand, 24/7 cotton. Cotton yarn works up nicely and is great for teething babies to chew on. It doesn’t have loose strands of fiber shedding off, it is easy to wash and it just gets softer and softer over time. You can use other acrylic blends for these patterns, I just prefer the cotton. I know plush has become SO popular too, so if you are looking to use something bulky, I recommend Premier, Parfait Chunky or Joann’s Big Twist Baby Bear.

Please note: This post contains affiliate links which means that if you purchase through the link, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business

MATERIALS:

Materials needed for this little free penguin crochet pattern will vary based on the type of yarn you choose. If you choose a size 4 yarn as pictured, you will need smaller hooks and slightly less yardage of yarn whereas if you use a size 5 or 6 yarn, you will need larger hooks and slightly more yardage of yarn. A quick note about bulkier yarns – these patterns can work well with size 5 bulky yarn or with a very thin “size 6” yarn. I do not recommend using this pattern with Bernat Blanket Yarn as I feel that it just comes out far too bulky! See the bitty butterfly pattern in my shop if you’d like a body style that works well with super bulky!

HOOK(S): [My all-time favorite hooks are Clover Amour hooks]

YARN: [I’ve used Hobby Lobby and Premier Parfait Chunky for this project]

  • Weight : Worsted
    • Hobby Lobby, I Love This Cotton Yarn
      • Color A: Black, ~ 75 yds
      • Color B: White, ~20 yds
      • Color C: Buttercup, <1 yd

NOTIONS

GAUGE
Exact gauge is not necessary for this project

FINAL HEIGHT
~7.5 inches from top to bottom

OK, let’s get started!

If you prefer the ad-free printable version, you can find it on Etsy or Ravelry. Use code BITTY to save on any of the bitty buddy patterns!

Here’s a quick note! Most of my patterns use the bobble stitch. This is a unique stitch that creates bobbles which pop up off of the work to add to the texture and overall look of the project. For infants and children, this unique texture creates interest and great sensory input in their toy! I work my bobbles in the round by pushing them towards me rather than away from me so they end up on the outside of the work in the round. If you need help with this technique, see this stitch tutorial and check out this video which gives directions on how to work the bobble stitch in the round. The pattern featured in this video is the free pineapple plush, but the technique used is the same. On to the free crochet penguin pattern!

STITCH ABBREVIATIONS:
SPECIAL STITCHES:

BOBBLE STITCH (bobble): tutorial here

To make a bobble stitch you will work multiple double crochets into the same stitch.

(Yo, insert hook into st, draw up a loop, yo, pull through first two loops on hook) and repeat 3 more times. End with 5 loops on the hook – yo, pull through all 5 loops.

See this stitch tutorial for a step-by-step description with photos here.

You can choose to make the bobbles on the right or the wrong side of your project, just make sure they are on the outside of the body when finished.

DECREASE STITCHES (hdc2tog/sc2tog): To decrease stitches, you will hdc or sc 2 stitches together to decrease the stitch count. Pattern indicates which stitch to use for these decreases.

INCREASE STITCHES (inc): To increase stitches, you will sc or hdc 2 stitches into the same spot.

PATTERN:

MAKING THE WINGS: (Make Two)

Use a 3.5 mm or 3.75 mm hook for size 4 yarn. For bulkier yarn, use a 4.0 mm hook.

Make the wings in Color A (black).  Stitch counts are included at the end of each round.

Round 1: To begin, make a magic circle. Place 6 sc in the magic circle. Place a stitch marker, if desired. Do not join. Continue to work in the round. [6]

Round 2: [sc inc, sc] x 3. [9]

Round 3: sc x 9 around. [9]

Round 4: [sc, sc inc, sc] x 3. [12]

Rounds 5-6: sc x 12 around. [12]

Round 7: [sc inc, sc x 3] x 3. [15]

Rounds 8-9: sc x 15. [15]

Round 10: [sc x 2, sc inc, sc x 2] x 3. [18]

Rounds 11-12: sc x 18 around. [18]

Round 13: [sc inc, sc x 5] x 3. [21]

Round 14: sc x 21 around. [21]

Round 15: [sc2tog, sc x 5] x 3. [18]

Round 16: [sc2tog, sc x 4] x 3. [15]

Round 17: [sc2tog, sc x 3] x 3. [12]

Round 18: Pinch the top of the wing together and place 6 sc across the top, making sure to go through stitches on each side in order to close off the wing. [6]

Cut yarn, tie off and weave in ends. Leave the wings unstuffed. Make two wings and set aside for assembly.

Leaving a long tail, cut yarn and tie off.

MAKING THE HEAD:

Use a 3.5 mm or 3.75 mm hook for size 4 yarn. For bulkier yarn, use a 4.0 mm hook.

Make the head using Color A (black), Color B (white) and Color C (yellow). Please note: color changes are indicated by bold, italics or standard script. The pdf version includes colorful color changes if you prefer. Stitch counts are included at the end of each round.

Begin with Color C.

Round 1: To begin, make a magic circle. Place 4 sc in the magic circle. Do not join. Place a stitch marker, if desired. Continue to work in the round. [4]

Round 2: [sc, sc inc] x 2. [6]

Round 3: [sc inc] x 3, sc inc, [sc inc] x 2. [12]

Round 4: sc x 3, sc inc, sc x 2, sc, sc inc, sc x 3, sc inc. [15]

Round 5: sc x 7, sc x 4, sc x 4. [15]

Round 6: [sc inc, sc] x 3, sc inc, [sc, sc inc] x 2, [sc, sc inc] x 2. [23]

Round 7: sc x 11, sc x 5, sc inc, sc x 6. [24]

Round 8: [sc inc, sc x 3] x 2, sc inc, sc x 3, sc inc, sc x 2, sc, [sc inc, sc x 3] x 2. [30]

Rounds 9-12: sc x 30 around. [30]

Round: 13: [sc2tog, sc x 3] x 6. [24] Begin stuffing the head. Add rattle insert if desired.

Round 14: [sc2tog, sc x 2] x 6. [18]

Round 15: [sc2tog, sc] x 6. [12]

Round 16: [sc2tog] x 6. [6]

Finish stuffing the head. Leaving a bit of a tail, cut and tie off your yarn. Thread a needle and sew under the front loop of each remaining stitch. Cinch tightly together to close the head. Tie off and weave in your ends.

ADDING THE FEATURES:

To embroider eyes, take embroidery thread or black yarn and a darning needle.  Work across rounds 6-7 to embroider this eyes in desired fashion. I recommend embroidering the eyes as these are intended for infants. However, if safety eyes are desired be sure to add them before closing up the head.

MAKING THE BODY:

Use a 4.0 mm hook for size 4 yarn or a 5.0 mm hook for size 5 yarn.

If you use a bulkier weight yarn, you will want to size up to an even larger hook. I don’t recommend super bulky yarn as the bobbles end up kind of bulky and close together, but you may find something that works with a large hook size! If you would like a body modification specifically meant for super bulky yarn, check out the bitty butterfly pattern. The body of the butterfly will work for the body of the penguin!

Stitch counts are included at the end of each round. Bobble rows include [total # stitches, # bobble stitches]. You will not join at the end of each row. Continue to work in the round.

If you are a visual learner and prefer to make the body with a video tutorial, check out this link which reviews how to make the body for the similar bitty bunny buddy (the stitch count is slightly different). Stay tuned for the full penguin tutorial, coming soon!

Make the body in Color A.

Round 1: To begin, make a magic circle. Place 6 hdc stitches in the magic circle. Do not join. Use a stitch marker at the end of each round, if desired. Continue to work in the round. [6]

Round 2: [hdc inc] x 6 around. [12]

Round 3: [hdc inc, hdc] around. [18]

Round 4: [sc x 2, bobble] x 6. [18, 6 bobbles]

Round 5: [hdc inc, hdc x 2] around. [24]

Round 6: sc x 2, bobble, [sc x 3, bobble] x 5, sc. [24, 6 bobbles]

Round 7: hdc x 24 around. [24]

Round 8: sc, [bobble, sc x 3] x 5, bobble, sc x 2. [24, 6 bobbles]

Round 9: hdc x 24 around. [24]

Round 10: [bobble, sc x 3] x 6. [24, 6 bobbles]

Round 11: hdc x 24 around. [24]

Round 12: [sc x 3, bobble] x 6. [24, 6 bobbles]

Round 13: [hdc x 2, hdc2tog] x 6. [18]

Round 14: [sc x 2, bobble] x 6. [18, 6 bobbles]

Round 15: hdc x 18 around. [18]

Round 16: [hdc x 4, hdc2tog] x 3. [15]

At this point, you will add the wings to your penguin to avoid having to sew them in later. The arms should be closed with six stitches across. It will not matter which side of the wing is the “front” vs the “back.”

Round 17: sc x 1. For the next six stitches, place your first wing on the outside of the body and sc x 6 through both the wing and the stitches of the neck.  This will attach your first wing.

sc x 2. For the next six stitches, place your second wing on the outside of the body and sc x 6 through both the wing and the stitches of the neck. This will attach your second wing. [15]

Round 18: [sc x 3, sc2tog] x 3. [12]

Slip stitch to first stitch and then leaving a long tail, cut yarn and tie off. You will use this tail to attach the head to your body, so be sure to leave a long enough tail.

ASSEMBLY:

You should now have the head with facial features completed and a body with wings attached.

Next, attach the body to the head. I recommend using pins to ensure that your head is sewn on straight and centered to the body. I prefer starting from the back of the body/head and moving around the front. Carefully stitch through the body and head to attach. I like to stitch around the head twice, to make sure it is secure.

Once you have finished the features and assembly, that’s it! Enjoy your new bitty buddy!

VISUAL LEARNER? Stay tuned for the FULL bitty penguin buddy tutorial coming to my YouTube channel in early February!

If you liked this free crochet penguin pattern bitty buddy, you may also like the full-sized Pippin the Penguin Bobble Buddy pattern!

If you make this bitty free crochet penguin pattern, I’d love for you to share! On Instagram, use #bittybuddy and tag me @_stuckonyoucrochet_ OR share on Facebook! And if you’d prefer to keep a copy of the ad-free printable version, you can find it on Etsy or Ravelry. Use code BITTY to save on any of the bitty buddy patterns!

Thanks for checking out this free crochet penguin pattern and stay tuned for more bitty buddy patterns to come!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *